


Sold To The Highest Bidder

by afteriwake



Category: CSI: NY
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-19
Updated: 2012-09-19
Packaged: 2017-11-14 14:10:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,637
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/516050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lindsay saves Danny's hide by winning him in a bachelor auction, and he vows to make it up to her.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sold To The Highest Bidder

"Sold! For one hundred and seventeen dollars to Detective Bonasera."

The small group of women huddled towards the left of the stage clapped. Flack looked a little disappointed at being sold at the bachelor auction for so little, but he caught sight of Stella's grin as she waved him over and returned it.

"That's a bargain," Jane said, sipping her drink. Sullivan's had been putting on something like this every year to raise money for the children's fund, and every year some of the CSIs, techs, coroners and detectives could always be found willing to lend a hand for charity. Somehow, this year had ended up having a bachelors auction, and word had sped through the labs quickly as more men confirmed they were going up for auction.

The amount of women, for the first time in ages, outnumbered the men at the bar.

"You're simply waiting to see which eligible bachelors have yet to be sold," Maka pointed out. She'd plopped down a hundred dollars on Marty not even fifteen minutes before. The fact that she had rather eagerly bid for him and scowled at any other woman who tried to beat her had caused the assorted group of women and the previously won man, Hawkes, to start howling in laughter.

"I'm surprised you didn't wait for Danny," Stella pointed out.

"Oh, I already know that as going to break the bank." Maka shrugged. "Besides, I like Marty. He's a nice guy," she said, turning to him. 

Lindsay raised her eyebrow but said nothing. She hadn't planned on attending, but Hawkes had begged her to come, at least on his behalf. He didn't think anyone was going to bid on him. The fact that Angell had actually put down almost a hundred and fifty dollars on him had probably shocked him more than it had everyone else. Lindsay hadn't even tried to put up a fight...but she _had_ helped drive the bidding up.

She glanced around at the women and few men around the table: Stella, Jane, Angell, Maka, Flack, Hawkes and Marty. Since Maka had left homicide, this was one of the few times Lindsay had seen her. Stella had dragged Jane along and Angell had agreed only when she found out Hawkes was going up for bidding. Lindsay smiled to herself; each of the women had asked who she was going to bid on, but she was sure they all had their suspicions.

"Next up," the bartender said, "our big money draw. Detective Daniel Messer."

The group erupted into laughter again. Danny _hated_ being called Daniel, and they all knew it. Lindsay only half listened as the bartender introduced him. She was only half listening because the catcalls and whistles were drowning out what the man was saying.

Lindsay caught his eye and he grinned at her, mouthing "please bid on me" to her. She grinned and nodded slightly. It was for a good cause, and no one would say anything about it if she did bid, mostly because she could turn around and make valid points about who they bought.

"Bidding at...twenty-five."

Bidding skyrocketed before Lindsay could even open up her mouth. Fifty...seventy-five...a hundred and twenty five...hundred and fifty...two hundred...two hundred seventy-five.. At three hundred and sixty, it finally started to wind down.

"Three eighty once, three eighty twice--"

"Five hundred."

Everyone's eyes turned to Lindsay.

"Five hundred?" the bartender mouthed. Lindsay nodded. "Five hundred once...twice..."

"Five hundred fifty." Every head in the place turned to the door where a blonde woman was standing. Danny groaned and turned his eyes back to Lindsay, silently begging her.

"Five seventy-five." She wasn't going to have any money left for anything else this month if it went up much higher. She caught sight of the others scrambling around but kept her eyes darting between Danny and the blonde.

"Five ninety," the blonde woman said.

"Six hundred," Lindsay said, and then she spread her hands. If the woman bid anything more, Danny was out of luck. He shut his eyes.

"Six hundred and fifty." Lindsay's shoulders sagged. 

Stella poked her. "Bid eight hundred."

"What?"

"We'll cover it. Consider Messer a Christmas present. Just bid before she gets him."

"Going once...twice..."

"Nine hundred!" Stella blinked. Danny stared. Every head in the building turned towards Lindsay, who was facing the blonde. She looked at Lindsay, but kept her mouth shut.

"I think that's a new record. Once...twice... Sold! Nine hundred dollars to Detective Monroe." Then, even though he said it quietly, the microphone still picked it up. "You really owe her, Messer."

"Tell me about it," Danny said, relief washing over his face and entering his voice.

"We only have two hundred," Stella said to Lindsay.

"Use it and buy me groceries. I can write a check."

"I'll cover some more of it," Hawkes said. Flack nodded as well. "Trust us, you just saved Danny from a fate worse than death."

"How?" Lindsay asked.

"That woman is Monica Tyler. She's been trying to get her hooks into Danny since he joined the labs. He can't _stand_ her," Flack said. "Trust me, he owes you big time. Don't be surprised if he tries to give you some of the money back."

"I'll just be happy with a date for the lab's Christmas party."

"That'll go down as the most expensive date in history," Angell said, pushing fifty dollars towards Lindsay. "Hope it's worth it."

"I get the feeling it will be," Marty said, pulling out his wallet and handing Lindsay forty. He gave her a grin and Lindsay found herself blushing and slightly giddy.

 _Jesus, I just bought Danny for nine hundred dollars,_ she thought to herself. _What the hell am I thinking?_ She looked up and saw him coming over towards the group just as Jane handed her seventy dollars, saying she didn't feel like bidding on anyone tonight and that was all she'd have spent.

"Montana, I really, honestly owe you," he said fervently. "If I'd have known Monica knew about this I never would have let myself get up here. I know there's no way in hell you have nine hundred lying around."

"We're helping her out," Flack said, putting down some money. "If Monica'd gotten you we'd all have been paying for it anyway."

"Still...six hundred? I'm touched enough as it is. Nine hundred's just..."

"You're embarrassing her," Maka said. She put down thirty. "You know, you want to help? Put a hundred down on the table. Forget that it basically means you're paying for yourself."

Lindsay shook her head. "No, Danny, don't. It's okay. I think we'll have enough." She put her hand on his arm as he began to pull out his wallet. "Like they've been saying, I saved you from a fate worse than death."

"I still owe you," he said quietly, his eyes not leaving her hand, which was still on his arm.

"I know."

"I promise I'm going to make it up to you."

"It's okay, honest." She removed her hand and gathered up the money, smoothing out the bills and counting about three hundred dollars. "Besides, this just about covers the extra three hundred." She put it aside and pulled out her checkbook.

"So you'd have bid six hundred on him on your own?" Jane asked. Lindsay nodded, and Jane turned to Danny. "You are, indeed, one lucky man."

"Yeah, I know."

\---

Lindsay got to work the next morning to find a few envelopes on her desk with various amounts of money in them. One was from Adam and some of the techs, another from Sid and the other coroners...there was even thirty dollars from Mac, who'd opted to spend the evening away from the auction. All in all, she was only going to lose five hundred and ten from her own bank account over this. And it was all going to a good cause, she realized.

At least saving Danny's ass wasn't going to leave her broke after all.

She went to work on the piles of paperwork waiting for her. It was routine, and she could almost do it in her sleep. In fact, it was the routine of something like this that made the day seem to speed by, to the point where, four hours after she'd clocked in, she still hadn't left.

"Everyone in New York decide to have a murder free day?" she asked Stella jokingly.

She shook her head. "We've had two cases, but Mac saw all the work you had to plow through so he sent me and Hawkes. Danny's been here all day so far, too. He's in AV right now." She tilted her head slightly when she saw the envelope. "Contributions to the cause?"

"Techs, coroners and Mac."

"Mac? I'm impressed," Stella said with a laugh. "He must really be happy you saved Danny from a date with Monica."

"What's their issue, anyway?" Lindsay asked, not quite sure how to phrase her question.

Stella came in and sat down at the desk across from Lindsay's, which was where Danny normally sat. "Way back when Danny joined the NYPD, he'd already started to build a reputation. Only he didn't know that there was a woman who worked for human resources who had a rep of her own. Unlike Danny, she isn't very selective, and he knows this." She leaned forward. "Plus, attractive as she is, she's actually not really Danny's type."

"And just what is his type?"

"Attractive and smart. His definition of attractive is on the broad side, but smart...that's something he won't back down on. Monica is not exactly the sharpest of women." She leaned back into the chair. "But, anyway, Monica's had it in for him since she found out about him, which was when he joined the labs. We've done our best to keep them as separated as possible. Last night, you just got caught in the middle."

Lindsay shrugged. "Really, it's okay. It's all going to a great cause."

"And you got yourself a date to the Christmas party," Stella noted with a grin. Lindsay gave her a look and she laughed. "Don't worry, I bought Flack for the same reason. He tries to avoid them, but he's good company. At least this year I'll be enjoying myself with a good friend around."

"I know for a fact that's not why Angell bought Hawkes."

"And even though they won't admit it, I think Maka buying Marty was their way of having a date without either of them having to actually ask," Stella said. "We get the strangest pairings of people around here."

"Yeah, I guess we do." Lindsay leaned back in her own chair. "I guess I should go ask Danny when he wants to meet up, since the party's tomorrow."

"Go, do that." Stella watched as Lindsay got up and left her office and she grinned. Even if the two of them wouldn't admit it, the fact that Lindsay bid nine hundred dollars on Danny meant she probably wanted more than a date for the party...

\---

She made it through the rest of that work day and headed home. Danny was going to meet her at her place since she had the next day off at seven o'clock. She was on call, so there was always the chance plans might change. But by the time the party started his shift was going to be over, so he'd offered to get her dinner as well. She'd agreed, just a little reluctantly.

When she woke up the next morning, it was to a cell phone trilling at eleven o'clock in the morning. She reached over and picked it up. "Monroe."

"Hey."

She blinked. "Danny?"

"Yeah. I...uh, we got flooded. Mac's doing his best not to call you in, but I figured I'd give you a friendly heads up."

"Thanks."

"No problem. Hey, about tonight?"

"Yeah?" she said slowly.

"Can you...wear a dress? Or bring one. At least for dinner."

She grinned to herself. "I'll wear a dress."

"Okay."

"What _are_ our plans for dinner, anyway?"

"Surprise."

"That's not fair. I paid for tonight..."

"You paid for _me_. Nothing says I can't surprise you. And besides, Montana, it's the holidays. This might just be part of a present for you, you know?"

"So, a surprise, huh?"

"Yeah."

"I can live with that...for now."

"Good to know. Have to get going; Hawkes and I are heading to Queens in a minute."

"Hey, Danny?"

"Yeah?"

"If I'm wearing a dress, are you wearing a suit?"

He paused. "Stella didn't call you earlier, did she?"

"You _are_ wearing a suit!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm wearing a suit." She heard Hawkes on Danny's end of the phone. "Listen, I've really got to go..."

"I'll see you later."

"Okay."

She hung up and looked at the phone. If she _did_ get called in, that didn't leave her much time to find a dress to wear. She got out of bed in a hurry and headed towards the bathroom. Time to do a little shopping...

\---

Thankfully, she didn't get called in. She was ready by 6:45 that evening. She'd thought he was going to be right on time, maybe a little late, but when she heard the knock on her door she glanced at the clock. 6:50. He was early.

She opened the door and stared in shock. She'd seen him in outfits that were professional but not quite suits. As the weather had gotten colder, though, he'd taken a more casual approach to what he wore. Now, however, he was in a black suit with a blue shirt that complimented his eyes. He looked...amazing.

"Wow, Lindsay. You look..."

"You just called me Lindsay," she said with a grin. She glanced down at the black dress she was wearing. It was similar to the one she'd worn to the opera ages ago, but not quite: this one was a halter, and not an empire waist. It wasn't as flashy, either, but the shape was similar and she liked it. She was sure she was going to freeze if she spent too much time outside, but it was a small price to pay for being able to put such a stunned look on Danny's face.

"Yeah, well." He coughed slightly. "That _is_ your name."

"You just never really call me that." She went back into her apartment, grabbed her purse and her jacket, then went back to the door. "Well...guess we should get going."

"Yeah." He stepped out of the way so she could close the door and lock up. "You look beautiful, by the way."

She blushed slightly. "Thanks."

"You're welcome." When she was done he looked at her, then offered her his arm. "Well?"

She laughed. "Let's get going."

\---

Flack whistled when they walked into the break room, which was filled up with lab personnel, coroners, CSIs and homicide detectives. "Wow, Monroe, you clean up nice."

"And you dress down nice, Flack," she said. This was the first time she'd ever seen him not in a suit. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt which wasn't a button down and black slacks. "You should dress like that more often."

"I'm only dressing like this because Stell made me," he said with a grin. "Seriously, though. I don't look that bad?"

She laughed and shook her head. "No, not bad at all. Where is Stella, anyway?"

"Trying to find out where Adam hung up some mistletoe. He's says there's a sprig up somewhere."

"Let's hope Mac isn't around when she finds it," Danny said. "He's not going to be happy."

"I think that's why she's looking for it," Flack said. "No use in having Mac get pissed right now."

"Sure she's not looking for it to drag you under it?" Lindsay asked with a smirk. Danny almost choked on the drink he was drinking.

"What, me and Stell? You're out of your mind, Monroe," Flack said, shaking his head. He pointed to an area behind Danny and Lindsay. "Those two should probably get under it soon, though. You know, kiss and make up?"

Danny and Lindsay turned and saw Maka scowling at Marty, who was, apparently, trying to apologize for something. Finally Maka just sighed and shook her head, giving him a small grin. "Or...not," Danny said. "Whatever was wrong, they seemed to have worked it out."

Flack started to reply when Stella came up to them. "He won't tell me where it is."

"Who, Ross?" Flack asked.

Stella nodded. Then it registered that Danny and Lindsay were there, and they had both dressed up a little more than everyone else. "Look at you two! You look great."

"Thanks," Danny said. He'd settled his arm around her lower back at some point and Lindsay just now realized it. She liked the way it felt, comforting and solid.

"I want a picture, but Hawkes has the camera." She scanned the crowd and then shook her head. "Never mind. I'll get one later. How long are you two going to be here for?"

"Uh..." Lindsay said, turning slightly to look at Danny. "I don't know."

"We have dinner reservations at eight-thirty, so probably another forty-five minutes or so." Danny cleared his throat slightly when Flack raised an eyebrow in his direction.

"Well, enjoy. And make sure Hawkes gets a picture!" Stella grabbed Flack. "Come on. If we have to tear this place apart, we're finding that mistletoe before Mac does."

Flack shrugged his shoulders for just a second before Stella pulled him into the crowd. Danny laughed. "Serves him right," he said.

"Why?"

"He always said he hated mistletoe. Now it's his job to get it out of here." He grinned at her. "Want to go see everyone?"

"Why not?"

\---

As it got closer for them to leave, Lindsay started to feel nervous. Once they left the party they would be on an actual date. Just the two of them, having dinner together. And someplace nice, considering that they were both dressed up. 

She wanted to ask him why he was doing this for her, when he really didn't need to, but every time she'd catch sight of him her breath would catch in her throat. He seemed happy and relaxed. There was a seemingly permanent smile on his face; she was glad to know it was going to be forever caught on film, thanks to a picture Hawkes had gotten of them together. And she just...

"Lindsay?" Angell asked. "Are you okay?"

"What? Oh, yeah, fine," she said, pulling her attention back to Hawkes and Angell. The two seemed to be extremely happy this evening, and as far as she could tell they hadn't really left each other’s side. It was actually rather sweet; of all the people Lindsay considered her friends, Hawkes always seemed to be the one who was left out of things. He didn't seem that way right now.

Hawkes raised an eyebrow. "He is your date for the evening, you know. You _can_ go talk to him."

"Sheldon, hush," Angell said quietly. Lindsay turned to her and she smiled. "Look, you guys have to leave soon, right? Go make the rounds, say your good-byes, and have a great time at dinner."

Lindsay smiled at them. "Okay. See you guys tomorrow?" They nodded, and Lindsay turned around to go find Danny, but he wasn't where he'd been. She walked over to Marty and Maka. "Have you guys seen Danny?"

Marty shook his head, but Maka pointed towards the door. "I thought I just saw him leave."

"Thanks. If he's looking for me, tell him I headed over towards the locker rooms looking for him, okay?"

"Sure," Marty said. "Hey, forgot to tell you that you look great."

"Thanks," she said with a grin. "Still getting used to seeing you outside of scrubs and the jersey."

"I like it," Maka said. She laughed. "Of course, I don't see him in autopsy as much as the rest of you, so I'm probably more used to him looking like this." Lindsay watched as Maka looked Marty up and down, taking in the jeans and long sleeved T-shirt he was wearing and she laughed slightly.

"Well, you two have fun. I'll see you tomorrow, Marty." He nodded at her and she made her way to the break room door and out into the empty hall. She was probably the only one out there, besides Danny, and that was okay with her. She walked around the individual labs, which were strangely quiet since everyone had taken an hour to just relax at the party.

She was at the locker room door, looking up, when it opened up and Danny stood looking at her. "Sorry about that..."

"Hey, Danny?"

"Yeah?"

She leaned up and kissed him on the lips, softly but firmly. He let go of the door and put an arm around her, pulling her in closer and deepening the kiss. A sigh of contentment passed her lips and she shut her eyes, enjoying the moment.

When he pulled away, she opened her eyes to see him looking at her with a confused look on his face. "Not that I minded, but...why'd you do that?"

She pointed to the doorway. Above them was the sprig of mistletoe. "Found the mistletoe."

Danny grinned and reached up, snatching it off the frame. "Maybe we can just take that down before someone else ends up under here," he said.

"And what are you going to do with it?"

"I don't know. I was thinking about bronzing it and sticking it up at my place. Reason behind my first kiss with Lindsay Monroe."

She shook her head, grinning. "That implies there will be more than one."

"That's what I'm hoping for..."


End file.
